Sealing means for furnace cars



'Dec. 3, 1929. F. 'r. COPE SEAL ING MEEANS FURNAcE CARS Filed Nov. 2, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fran/i Z 60 26- dbmweq Dec. 3, 1929.

FLT. CQPE smnmemmms FOR FURNACE cans 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 2, 1928 0 1929, F. T. com-z SEALING MEANS FOR FURNACE CABS Filed Nov; 2; 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK T. COPE, OF SAI|EM, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC FURNACE COMPANY, OF SALEM, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO SEALING MEANS FOR FURNACE CARS Application filed November 2, 1928. Serial No. 316,765.

The invention relates to furnace cars such as are used in continuous furnaces or kilns and more particularly to a sand sealing means for such cars whereby exchange of air is prevented between the heating chamber and the under portion of the furnace, through as well as prey enting hot air from passing out of the heating chamber and into contact with the running gear of the cars. Such constructions,.however, do not provide for a tight seal between adjacent cars,

and the object of the present improvement is to provide a simple and efficient means of continuing the seal from one car to the next and preventing the loss of sand from the sand troughsat this point.

The above and other objects may be attained by providing a detachable seal coupler between adjacent cars to form a continuation of the sand troughs of the cars, thus continuing the seal throughout the length of the train.

An embodiment of the invention is illus trated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional View through a tunnel and car showing the improved seal coupler associated therewith;

Fig. 2, a fragmentary side elevation of adjacent portions of two cars provided with sand troughs connected by the seal coupler;

Fig. 3, a plan sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4:, a fragmentary sectional view through adjacent end portions of two cars showing the means fof'detachably connecting the seal coupler to each car;

Fig. 5, a detached perspective view of the seal coupler; and

Fig. 6, a longitudinal section through the discharge end portion of the kiln, or furnace, showing the car discharging means.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The car to which the invention is applicable may be of any usual and well known construction, having the running gear comprising the axles 10 and flanged wheels 11 arranged to travel upon the rails 12 located in the bottom portion of the furnace or kiln tunnel, the side walls of which are generally indicated at 13.

The car mayhave a metal frame 14 upon which may be mounted a refractory base as at 15 for supporting the material to be heated or treated in the kiln or furnace.

Each car is provided at each side with the usual sand trough 16 extending the full length of the car and open at opposite ends and adapted to contain sand or the like as shown at 17 A depending sealing flange 18 is spaced from each side wall of the tunnel and adapted to be imbedded in the sand of the adjacent trough 16, thus sealing the heating chamber 19 from the under portion of the tunnel in the usual manner.

It will be seen that while such a construction provides a seal along the length of each car, there is a break in the seal between adjacent cars which would permit leakage of sand from the trough 16 and an exchange of air between the heating chamber of the tunnel and the. lower portion thereof, thus tending to either cool the heating chamber or overheat the running gear of the cars.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a seal cou ler to be located between adjacent cars, sea ing the j oint'between the .sand troughs and thus forming a continuous seal throughout the length of the train of cars.

This seal comprises a plate 20 extending transversely across the train of cars, between adjacent cars and having the vertical side flanges 21 located at the outside of the sand troughs. The seal plate is preferably attached to one car and the side flanges flared outward as at 22 to permit the adjacent car to be easily and readily moved into position so that the sand troughs thereof are received between the side flanges 21 of the seal plate.

For the purpose of easily and readily attaching the seal plate to the car, a plurality of openings 23 may be formed near one edge portion of the plate to receive a pin 24 located through suitable openings 25 in the flanges 26 of the channel frame member 27 at one end of the car.

A cotter pin or the like as shown at 28 may be inserted through a suitable openin same 1n position and retain the sealing plate in the horizontal recess between the upper flange 26 of the frame member 27 and the bottom frame 14 of the car as best shown in Fig. 4.

The opposite edge of the seal plate is preferably tapered as shown at 30 to be received within a similar space in the adjacent end of the next car and the frame member 14 of the last named car may be beveled as at 31 to assist in guiding the seal plate into position when the cars are moved together.

It will be seen that the seal plate thus extends around the bottoms and sides of adjacent sand troughs, thus entirely closing the joints between the ends of adjacent troughs, retaining the sand therein and forming a continuous seal throughout the length of the train of cars, preventing exchange of air between the heating Y portion of the tunnel throughout its length.

It should be understood that while-kilns or furnaces of this type are referred to as continuous kilns or furnaces, the movement of the cars therethrough is intermittent, the cars being advanced periodically through the furnace or kiln, the entire train of cars being advanced substantially one car length as each new car is admitted to the tunnel. At the same time, the foremost car in the train is ejected or discharged through the discharge doorway 33 of the tunnel.

Owing to the above described sealing means, in which the sealing plate 20 is in the form of a tongue carried byone car and telescoped into a groove in the next car, it has been found that considerable force is neces-- sary to separate the end car from the train, as thesand becomes wedged between the sealing plate and the groove in-the next car.

car discharging device is, therefore provided, for forcibly ejecting or discharging the end car, indicated at A in Fig-6, from the tunnel to permit the exit door 34 to be closed. This discharging device also includes means for holding the remainder of the train against movement while the end car is being separated therefrom.

Referring to Fig. 6 of the drawings, the

train of cars is in the position assumed when a fresh car has been pushed into the furnace and the entire train has been advanced one car length through the tunnel, the foremost car A projecting through the exit doorway 33 and partly into the open.

chamber and the lower 'the same,

In order to close the exit d or- 34, it is necessary to separate the end car A from the train, and remove the same entirely from the tunnel of the kiln or furnace. At the same time, the rest of the train must be held against movement to permit this separation.

For this purpose, a stop arm 35 is carried by the rocker shaft 36 and arranged to be g moved into contact with the forward side of in the lower portion of the pin 24 to hold the one axle of the second car B, as by means of the holding lever 37 operatively associated with said rocker shaft and moved in the direction of the arrow. This holds the entire train, with the exception of the first car A, against forward movement.

While the rest of the train is thus held against movement, the end car A must be separated therefrom and ejected from the furnace. This is accomplished by moving the kickout lever 38 in thg direction of the arrow. This lever is operatively associated with a rocker shaft 39, upon which is fixed a rocker arm 40.

A link 41 connects the rocker arm 40 with the kickout or ejecting arm 42, at a point intermediate the ends thereof. This kickout arm is fulcrumed, as at 43, upon the link 41, and normally held in the path of the axles of the cars, as by the spring 44, and stop pin 45, the spring permitting the axles of the cars to depress the kickout arm 42, in passing over and returning the kickout arm to upright position when the axle has passed.

This forward movement of the kickout lever forcibly contacts the kickout arm with an axle of the first car A, breaking the same away from the remaining cars of the train and ejecting the car A from the kilh or furnace.

I claim:

1. In a tunnel having depending flanges spaced from its side walls, a plurality of cars, a sand trough along each side of each car for cooperation with said flanges, and a seal plate extending around the bottoms and sides of adjacent sand troughs.

2. In a tunnel having depending flanges spaced from its side walls, a plurality of cars, a sand trough along 'each side of each car for cooperation with said flanges, a seal plate extending around the bottoms and sides of adjacent sand troughs, and means for connecting the seal plate to one car.

3. In a tunnel having depending flanges spaced from its side walls, a plurality of cars, a sand trough along each side of each car for cooperation with said flanges, a seal plate extending around the bottoms and sides of adjacent sand troughs, and means for detachably connecting the seal plate to one car.

4. In a tunnel having depending flanges spaced from its side walls, a plurality of cars, a sand trough along each side of each car for cooperation with said flanges, and a seal plate extending around the bottoms and sides of adjacent sand troughs, the seal plate havin outwardly flared side flanges.

5. 1% a tunnel having depending flanges spaced from its side walls, a plurality of cars, a sand trough along each side of each car, the cars having horizontal recesses at their end portions beneath the sand troughs, and seal plates located in said recesses and extending around the bottoms and sides of m adjacent sand troughs.

6. Ina tunnel having depending flanges spaced from its side walls, a plurality of cars, a sand trough along each side of each car, the cars having horizontal recesses at 15 their end portions beneath the sand troughs,

seal plates located in said recesses and extending around the bottoms and sides of adjacent sand troughs, and means for connecting each seal plate to one car.

7. In a tunnel having depending flanges 2o spaced from 1ts slde walls, a plurahty of cars, a sand trough along each side of each car, the cars having horizontal recesses at their end portions beneath the sand troughs, seal 25 plates located in said recesses and extending around the bottoms and sides of adjacent san troughs, and means for detachably connecting each seal plate to one car.

8. In a tunnel, a lurality of cars adapted to be moved throng the tunnel, a stop arm for contact with an axle of the second car of the train, and an ejecting arm for contact with an axle of the first car of the train to forcibly eject the same from the tunnel. 35 In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed m name.

l BANK T. COPE.

so I 

